I am protecting my workbook, but it is broken when it is loaded by Quatro Pro, please help

[SAM SEBAIHI]

I have a protected Excel workbook that I send to my students, when a student
opens it with a quatro pro and then saves it, the password would be set to a
blank password this means when I receive it back from the student, I can
unprotect the sheet by just pressing tool/protection/unprotect without
entering my original or any password.

Note: I am sure that the student is not breaking the password becasue he is
failing the exam

Any idea how to overcome this problem??
Thank you in advance

 

[Damon Longworth]

I do not have Quattro Pro to test, but I would not be so sure the student is
not hacking your password. It does not take a brain surgeon to Google for
password cracking code.



--

Damon Longworth

2007 East Coast Excel / Access User Conference
April 18-20, 2007 - Providing Microsoft Excel training and Microsoft Excel
Classes
Atlantic City, New Jersey
www.ExcelUserConference.com/ECEUC.html

I have a protected Excel workbook that I send to my students, when a student
opens it with a quatro pro and then saves it, the password would be set to a
blank password this means when I receive it back from the student, I can
unprotect the sheet by just pressing tool/protection/unprotect without
entering my original or any password.

Note: I am sure that the student is not breaking the password becasue he is
failing the exam

Any idea how to overcome this problem??
Thank you in advance

 

[SAM SEBAIHI]

Thank you Damon, I am absoluttley sure that the student will not hack my
sheet, they hardly know how to add and subtract, in addiion, they are not
passing the exam (the answers are hidden in the columns with password). What
do you think?

 

[Guest]

I don't have quattro pro either, but just want to mention that excel
passwords are easily cracked.

Furthermore, if the answers are in a hidden column on a protected sheet
(let's say column D) - I was able to select columns C through E and
copy/paste to a new (unprotected) sheet and unhide the column on this new
sheet to see the data that is hidden on the protected sheet. No cracking
required (XL2000 anyway).

I think the solution here is don't put the answers in the exam and rely on
XL protection.

 

[SAM SEBAIHI]

Thank you,

I don't have quattro pro either, but just want to mention that excel
passwords are easily cracked.

Furthermore, if the answers are in a hidden column on a protected sheet
(let's say column D) - I was able to select columns C through E and
copy/paste to a new (unprotected) sheet and unhide the column on this new
sheet to see the data that is hidden on the protected sheet. No cracking
required (XL2000 anyway).

I think the solution here is don't put the answers in the exam and rely on
XL protection.